100 nurses, midwives to be deployed in Abra

By Maria Teresa B. Benas

BANGUED, Abra-- Some 100 nurses and 20 midwives will be deployed in Abra this year to serve in the 27 municipalities of the province under the Registered Nurses for Health Enhancement and Local Services (RNHEALS) program.

                Deployment of said nurses will cover all provincial towns, and is part of the universal health care program of government, according to Felix Damian, administrative point person of the Department of Health-Abra.

                Damian bared that aside from the basic health care delivery, the RNHEALS will also form a community health team in every barangay in to help the DOH and the Provincial Health Office in extending health services to the grassroots.

                The RNHEALS is now on its third year of implementation in Abra.

                Its primary purpose was to provide emergency employment to registered nurses throughout the country and was initially under the implementation of the Department of Labor and Employment.

                It serves as an opportunity for the country’s registered nurses to gain work experience that will qualify them to apply for a job abroad without having to pay for their training in government as well as private hospitals.

                Aside from the work experience that they gain, the nurses are given a monthly financial incentive of P8,000 while the midwives are given P6,000.

                This year, the RNHEALS program is in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as it includes the monitoring of the beneficiaries of the PantawidPamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), which also aims to reduce maternal and child mortality.

                Last year, RNHEALS hired 75 nurses and 200 midwives deployed to 17 municipalities in the province.